New bill would keep smoking in New Jersey casinos with restrictions

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- A new bill introduced in the New Jersey State Senate this week would continue to allow smoking in casinos with some restrictions.

It's the newest battle in a years-long war over the controversial topic that has divided workers, commerce organizations, and customers.

"I don't care what you do. If somebody wants to smoke, they can smoke," said David Rizzuto from Trenton.

"Honestly, it's scary as a pregnant woman," said Azaria Tyler from Miami.

READ MORE: Bill to ban smoking in Atlantic City casinos moves forward on 4th try in NJ Legislature

One of the largest unions that represents casino workers is pushing back against the new bill.

"Smoke goes where it wants. It'll float everywhere on the floor," said Daniel ViCente, the director of UAW Region 9, which represents 3,000 casino dealers and slot techs in Atlantic City.

Their representative says the only acceptable answer is to ban smoking altogether.

"The rules as it's written in this proposal are ridiculous and continue to put our peoples' health and safety at risk," he said.

This bill, which State Senator John Burzichelli introduced this week makes three main points: it limits smoking to 25% of the casino floor, it allows smoking in unenclosed areas of the floor that contain slot machines, and it keeps live dealers at minimum 15 feet away.

"When every casino executive and every casino lobbyist agrees to put a specialty 25% smoking section in their offices then we'll talk about compromises," said ViCente.

Some commerce organizations in New Jersey argue smoking bans would endanger jobs and hurt casino revenue.

"This is not a money issue for us. This is a health and safety issue," said ViCente.

That's how Tyler feels too.

"It's one of the things that I dread. I have a mask in my hand so that I protect myself the best that I can," she said.

She says casino smoke has put a cloud over her trip with her husband, who's a smoker himself. Still, he doesn't like to see it inside.

"Smoking in a casino, even for me is a little bit, it's too much. Just the cloud of smoke, the fog. It's just, I don't believe you should be able to smoke in an enclosed space," said Demetrius Tyler.

The bill has been introduced to the Senate's health committee. Meanwhile, the Casino Association of New Jersey says it looks forward to a compromise that prioritizes health while protecting jobs.